2. The Methodist Episcopal Church South. The movement called Methodism originated one hundred and fifty years ago in England, when the Wesleys and Whitfield began their erangelical preaching to the masses. "The field preaching of Wesley and Whitfield, in 1739," says Isaac Taylor, "was the event whence the religious epo.ch, now current. must date its commencement." Clic first AIethodist Conference was held in the Foundry, London, beginning June 25. 1744. In 176o Robert Strawbridge came to America, and settled at Sam's Creek. Maryland. Soon after he built the first Methodist church in the United States.. In i766, Philip Embury, a local preacher, organ.izecl a Methodist society in New York, being assi,:ted by Barbara Heck. From these beginnings Meth odism continued to grow until 1773, when the first annual conference in America was held in the city of Philadelphia. In December, 1784, in Baltimore, at Lovely Lane Chapel, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized, and Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury were elected and or dained bishops. The Methodist Episcopal Church prospered and grew until 18.14, when thc agitation on the subject of slavery, which had been going on for some years, culminated in the division of the church. A short time previous to the Gen eral Conference of 1844, Bishop James O. Andrew, of Georgia, had married a lady possessed of slaves. Soon after their marriage, in order to free himself from any ownership in these slaves, he had secured them to her by a deed of trust. But the sentiment against his position was so strong among the delegates from the Northern Conferences that when the General Conference met, by a vote of to to 68, they passed a resolu tion that "It is the sense of this General Confer ence that he [Bishop Andrew] desist from the exercise of this office so long as this impediment remains." The result was a protest front the southern delegates, followed by a long discus sion, which resulted in the adoption of a "Plan of Separation." Under the provisions of this plan the delegates from the Southern Conferences met in Louisville, Ky., in May, 1845, and organized the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Since that time this church has gone forward with its work, being faithful to the traditions and principles of Methodism, until now it numbers nearly a million and a half communicants, and 6,000 traveling preachers.
(1) Condition of Membership. While Meth odism accepts the great cardinal doctrines of Christianity, such as are crystallized in the Apos tles' Creed, there are several distinctive features in her doctrine and polity. Perhaps the most noticeable thing in Methodism is the broad con dition of its membership, including all those who desire to flee from the wrath to come. This is the only condition required for admission into the M. E. Church South, the pastor being au thorized to receive candidates as soon as he is satisfied of their sincerity.
(2) Witness of the Spirit. Methodism places emphasis on a personal experience and teaches that it is the privilege of every Christian to have a conscious knowledge of the pardon of sin. This doctrine of a conscious conversion, and of a di rect witness of the Spirit testifying to the heart of the believer that he is a child of God is, as has been said, "the true key" to Methodist the ology.
(3) Free Will. The doctrines of universal re demption and of the freedom of the human will are cardinal principles in Methodism. The M. E.
Church South, in common with all other branches of Methodism, teaches that the sacrifice of Christ derived infinite value from the divinity of his per son, and is therefore intrinsically sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole human race ; that he "died for all men," and that salvation does not depend on an arbitrary decree, but upon the will ingness or unwillingness of each man to comply with the gospel conditions of salvation. A nat ural infercnce from this is the absolute frecdom of the human will. Methodists believe in justifi cation by faith. "Justification is the divine judi cial act which applies to the sinner beFeving in Christ the benefit of the atonement, delivering him from the condemnation of his sin, introduc ing him into a state of favor, and treating him as a righteous person." It is a judicial act, some thing done for the sinner because of his faith, as regeneration is something done in him, the two being part of the one work of conversion. The originating cause of justification is the love of God; the meritorious cause is the atonement of Christ ; the instrumental cause is the personal faith of the believer.
(4) The New Birth. Regeneration is an im portant Methodist doctrine, and is the new birth, a change of heart. All Methodists teach that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 1 t is the work of the Holy Spirit and is a conscious change in the heart and the life.
(5) The Sacraments. Methodism teaches that there are but two sacraments—baptism and the Lord's supper. The Methodist Church holds that the three modes of baptism—pouring, sprinkling, and immersion—are equally valid, but that the vast preponderance of evidence is in favor of pouring or sprinkling. Methodism also teaches the baptism of infants.
(6) The Itinerancy. The chief feature of the Methodist polity is the itinerant system. Every itinerant Methodist preacher is a member of some annual conference, and the bishop presiding over each conference appoints every preacher to some pastoral charge for one year. No preacher can be appointed to the same pastoral charge for more than four consecutive years in the M. E. Church South. From fifteen to twenty pastoral charges constitute a district, over which a presiding elder is appointed, whose duty it is "To travel through his appointed District, in order to preach and to oversee the spiritual and temporal affairs of thc Church." No presiding elder can be appointed for more than four years to the same District.
(7) The Conferences. In every pastoral charge a quarterly conference, composed of the official board and local preachers, is held every three months; a conference of all the members of a church may be held monthly; a District Confer ence, composed of the preachers and delegated laymen of a district is held annually; an Annual Conference, composed of all the preachers and lay delegates in thc bounds of that conference, is held once a year, and a General Conference, composed of one preacher and one layman for every forty eight clerical members of an Annual Conference, is held every four years. The business of the General Conference is: (1) The election of bish ops when deemed necessary; (2) To create and readjust the boundaries of the Anntial Conier ence; (3) To revise the laws and rules of Disci pline ; (4) To superintend the interests of foreign missions; (5) To elect the various connectional officers of the Church.